1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a device and a method for automatically rapidly analyzing biological cells, and in particular to a device and a method for automatically rapidly analyzing biological cells utilizing a low-magnification optical image amplification device and an image capture device to continuously capture a plurality of image frames of biological cells for sampling.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, the conventional methods for cell counting are classified into manual counting, capacitance/resistance counting, turbidity/scattering rate colorimetric counting, image identification counting. The details are as follows.
Manual counting: the measurer places the suspension including target biological cells in a special container, and counts the target biological cells by naked eyes through an optical magnification device (e.g. microscope). But, if there are too many target biological cells in the field of view, the target biological cells in the field of view are moving, or there are other non-target biological cells mixed in the field of view, the measurer may be hard to identify the target biological cells, or even may not identify the target biological cells. In addition, observing for a long time may cause eyestrain for measurer and affect the result of cell counting.
Capacitance/resistance counting: the measurer uses special reagent to remove non-target biological cells in the suspension including target biological cells, and introduces the diluted suspension into a tiny pipe charged with electricity and makes the target biological cells pass through a powered microcavity electrode. When the target biological cells pass through the powered microcavity electrode, the voltage/resistance/capacitance of the powered microcavity electrode may be changed. The measurer determines the number and the size of the target biological cells according to the change of the powered microcavity electrode. However, because of the influence of the special reagent and electric current, all the target biological cells in the suspension will die. Thus, capacitance/resistance counting method cannot trace the moving/active state of the target biological cells.
Turbidity/scattering rate colorimetric counting: the measurer places the suspension including target biological cells in a transparent container, and illuminates the suspension by light. The transmittance of the suspension illuminated by light may be changed due to the turbidity of the suspension. When the turbidity of the suspension is high, the number of the biological cells in the suspension is more; when the turbidity of the suspension is low, the number of the biological cells in the suspension is less. In addition, the scattering change rate of turbidity may be also used to measure the moving/active state of living biological cells. But turbidity/scattering rate colorimetric counting method is based on liquid with known turbidity to count the number of the biological cells in the suspension. Thus, the counting result of turbidity/scattering rate colorimetric counting is not the real number of the biological cells. Additionally, if the suspension contains non-target biological cells or other impurities, turbidity/scattering rate colorimetric counting will be interfered easily to cause error counting and error active state detection.
In summary, for the measurer, the conventional methods for cell counting are not a good choice.